Across Tennessee, families measure the state’s pain pill epidemic in terms of loved-ones lost to overdoses and loved-ones battling addiction.In spite of efforts to crack down on the state’s prescription drug abuse epidemic, a new report shows nearly 18 million prescriptions for controlled substances such as OxyContin and hydrocodone were dispensed in Tennessee last year – a 23 percent increase from the previous year.
The surging figures in the report to the General Assembly are a setback for those fighting on the front lines of the prescription drug problem.
“We’re in jeopardy of losing an entire generation of our youth to addiction if we don’t get a grip on this,” said Tommy Farmer, an assistant special agent in charge of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. “I mean that sincerely.”
Read more at the Tennessean.